Most Evangelicals believe social media is harmful to their faith, but use it anyway: study

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Friday, December 13, 2024

Although a majority of Evangelicals believe social media use is more harmful than helpful to their faith, they use them anyway, according to a new report by Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research. And the more spiritually engaged they are, the more social media platforms they tend to use.

The recently released report, Helpful or Harmful? Evangelicals and Social Media, was produced from data collected from 1,039 Evangelical Protestants earlier this year.

Like Americans in general, Evangelicals ranked Facebook, 81%, as their top social media platform, followed by YouTube, 71%; Instagram, 45%; TikTok, 35%; and Pinterest, 28%.

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Some 54% of Evangelicals reported that even though they believe social media is more harmful than helpful, they still use the platforms anyway. And the main reason Evangelicals cited for saying social media is more harmful than helpful is because the platforms are “loaded with harmful, dangerous, worldly content.”

Thirty-four percent of respondents in the report cited this as their top reason. Another 29% of Evangelicals said social media is harmful in general and not just to Christians. Some Christians, about 15%, cited the potential of social media to negatively influence people regarding their faith. Others cited factors such as false doctrine, misinformation about Christianity and the harassment of Christians.

Among Evangelicals overall, 58% believe social media is more harmful than helpful to the Christian faith in the U.S., while 42% believe the opposite.

The top reason Evangelicals gave for saying social media is more helpful is the ability to use the platforms for evangelism. Some 47% of Evangelical supporters of social media cited this as a positive feature. Another 18% said social media allowed them to connect with Christian content more easily, while others pointed to the ability to create communities.

“Salt savors and preserves our food and is necessary for life; too much can kill. Opioids can relieve intense pain but are highly addictive and have destroyed many lives. Even something as basic as water is necessary for all life but flooding can devastate communities, and over 300,000 people worldwide drown each year. From the responses we received in this study, social media is much the same,” the researchers said.

“Some [E]vangelicals talk glowingly of how it (social media) has allowed them to talk to others about Jesus, build their own faith through study or encouragement, and develop greater community with other believers. Others bash social media as shallow, distracting, untrue, seductive, and even evil. It certainly seems that, in many cases, both perspectives are correct. Social media is a tool that can both spread the Gospel and spread lies, encourage, and depress, teach and distract.”

The findings of Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research come as a new Pew Research Center survey released Thursday on U.S. teens ages 13 to 17 conducted Sept. 18-Oct. 10 show how many of them say they are online on social media almost constantly due to their access to smartphones.

YouTube remains the most popular social media platform for teenagers, with some 90% reporting using it, followed by TikTok, 63%; Instagram, 61%; and Snapchat, 55% to round out the top five platforms.

“Overall, 73% of teens say they go on YouTube daily, making YouTube the most widely used and visited platform we asked about. This share includes 15% who describe their use as ‘almost constant.’ About six-in-10 visit TikTok daily. This includes 16% who report being on it almost constantly,” Pew researchers note.

The data show that teenage girls are more likely than boys to say they use TikTok "almost constantly," while teen boys are more likely than girls to use YouTube as often.

While they acknowledge the challenges social media presents to Christians, researchers with Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research believe church leaders can provide guidance to their congregants to encourage more discerning engagement on social platforms.

“While social media presents challenges, it also offers tremendous opportunities for [E]vangelicals to shine the light of Christ in a vast digital landscape. With intentional guidance from church leaders, and a spirit of discernment, social media can become a powerful tool for spreading the Gospel, building community, and encouraging fellow believers,” the researchers noted. “By using it thoughtfully and prayerfully, Christians can navigate its challenges while seizing the opportunity to make a positive impact for the kingdom of God in this digital age.”